Wouter Van dongen and colleagues at the Vetmeduni Vienna have examined the gastrointestinal bacteria of chick and adult black-legged kittiwakes.
Surprisingly the microbial assemblages of chicks and adults generally differ greatly with only a few types of bacteria in common.
From a youthful hodgepodge to a stable communitythere turned out to be a great variety of bacterial species in the guts of kittiwake chicks
Astonishingly the sampled chicks and adults had only seven out of a total of 64 bacteria species in common
and some of the bacteria that were very common in adults were not present in chicks at all.
Wouter Van dongen says We were surprised very to find that the bacteria in chick gastrointestinal tracts are so different from those in adults.
Given that chicks share the nest with their parents and eat food that is regurgitated by the parents we expected the level of bacterial sharing to be a lot higher.
Nuts game poultry and fish are included also as well as whole grains rapeseed oil and low-fat dairy products.
#Saturated fats do not yield better bacona recent paper published in the Journal of Animal Science suggests producers may want to adjust pig diets
Some producers believe that feeding pigs saturated fats will undo the fat-softening effects of DDGS.
The researchers formulated six corn-soybean meal diets to test the effects of saturated fat additives on carcass fat quality in pigs.
According to the researchers pork produced from pigs fed DDGS have reduced shelf life and increased susceptibility to oxidative damage.
The researchers compared the performance of pigs fed each of these diets to the performance of pigs fed a diet containing DDGS with no saturated fats added
The researchers found that pigs fed the control diet containing no DDGS had greater belly flop distances than the pigs fed the other diets.
There was no difference among the pigs fed the five diets containing DDGS. This led researchers to conclude that adding saturated fats to diets containing DDGS has no effect on the fat quality of pigs.
Stein suggested that producers feeding high levels of DDGS reduce the amount fed in the last 3 to 4 weeks before harvest to avoid the softening of fat.
He underlined findings by the UN Food and agriculture organization that genetic diversity among livestock is declining. The good news is the rate of decline is dropping
dry-season water flows carbon sequestration timber and livestock production. Published this week in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) their study--Bundling ecosystem services in the Panama canal Watershed--examines precipitation topography vegetation
#Ferrets, pigs susceptible to H7n9 avian influenza viruschinese and U s. scientists have used virus isolated from a person who died from H7n9 avian influenza infection to determine
The researchers also infected pigs with the human-derived H7n9 virus. In natural settings pigs can act as a virtual mixing bowl to combine avian-and mammalian-specific influenza strains potentially allowing avian strains to better adapt to humans.
and spark a pandemic so information about swine susceptibility to H7n9 could help scientists gauge the pandemic potential of the avian virus. Unlike the ferrets infected pigs in this small study did not transmit virus to uninfected pigs
All the infected ferrets and pigs showed mild signs of illness such as sneezing nasal discharge and lethargy but none of the infected animals became seriously ill.
Rivers of wildebeests zebra and Thompson's gazelles--more than 2 million all told--cross the landscape in one of the largest animal migrations on the planet.
While the park is located ideally for wandering wildebeests its location is less than ideal for the region's residents.
which bisects the wildebeest migration route near the Kenyan border will bring an end to the annual migrations
#Genome sequence of Tibetan antelope sheds new light on high-altitude adaptationhow can the Tibetan antelope live at elevations of 4000-5000m on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau?
and the biology of other ruminant species. The Tibetan antelope (Pantholops hodgsonii) is a native of the high mountain steppes and semidesert areas of the Tibetan plateau.
Tibetan antelope is sized a medium antelope with the unique adaptations to against the harsh high-altitude climate.
In this study researchers suggest that Tibetan antelopes must have evolved exceptional mechanisms to adapt to this extremely inhospitable habitat.
Using next-gen sequencing technology they have decoded the genome of Tibetan antelope and studied the underlying genetic mechanism of high-altitude adaptations.
Through the comparison between Tibetan antelope and other plain-dwelling mammals researchers found the Tibetan antelope had the signals of adaptive evolution
and oxygen transmission indicating that gene categories involved in energy metabolism appear to have an important role for Tibetan antelope via efficiently providing energy in conditions of low partial pressure of oxygen (PO2).
Further research revealed that both the Tibetan antelope and the highland American pika have signals of positive selection for genes involved in DNA repair and the production of ATPASE.
Considering the exposure to high levels of ultraviolet radiation positive selective genes related to DNA repair may be vital to protect the Tibetan antelope from it.
Qingle Cai Project manager from BGI said The completed genome sequence of the Tibetan antelope provides a more complete blueprint for researchers to study the genetic mechanisms of highland adaptation.
if the chicks he's feeding are really his? Depending on the species males have different strategies.
Herbert Hoi and colleagues of the University of Veterinary medicine Vienna together with scientists from the Slovak Academy of Sciences Bratislava carried out experiments with reed warblers to see how a situation of potential infidelity affects later paternal investment in the chicks
The scientists then observed nest building activity and feeding of offspring and determined chick paternity through DNA analyses.
Those females that had been observed to show interest in the intruder were also later found to be more likely to have extra-pair chicks in their nest.
Males seem to readily procure food for the chicks regardless whether they are their own or not.
because he cannot distinguish his own from an extra-pair chick. On the other hand females who perceived their males as unable to repel an intruder quickly enough
#Bird flu in live poultry markets are the source of viruses causing human infectionson 31 march 2013 the Chinese National Health and Family planning Commission announced human cases of novel
and published their results in Springer's open access journal Chinese Science Bulletin (Springeropen). Following analysis of H7n9 influenza viruses collected from live poultry markets it was found that these viruses circulating among birds were responsible for human infections.
These results provide a basis for the government to take actions for controlling this public health threat.
A total of 970 samples were collected from live poultry markets and poultry farms located in Shanghai and Anhui Province.
Samples analyzed included drinking water feces contaminated soil and cloacal and tracheal swabs. Of these samples 20 were positive for the presence of H7n9 influenza viruses.
All of the positive samples originated from live poultry markets in Shanghai. Of these 20 positive samples 10 were isolated from chickens 3 from pigeons
We suggest that strong measures such as continued surveillance of avian and human hosts control of animal movement shutdown of live poultry markets
and culling of poultry in affected areas should be taken during this initial stage of virus prevalence to prevent a possible pandemic.
The above story is provided based on materials by Springer. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.
#Poultry drug increases levels of toxic arsenic in chicken meatchickens likely raised with arsenic-based drugs result in chicken meat that has higher levels of inorganic arsenic a known carcinogen according to a new study
whether or not the poultry was raised with arsenical drugs. The findings provide evidence that arsenical use in chickens poses public health risks
and known as roxarsone was readily available to poultry companies that wished to add it to their Feed in addition to inorganic arsenic the researchers were able to identify residual roxarsone in the meat they studied;
Arsenic-based drugs have been used in poultry production for decades. Arsenical drugs are approved to make poultry grow faster
and improve the pigmentation of the meat. The drugs are approved also to treat and prevent parasites in poultry.
In 2010 industry representatives estimated that 88 percent of the roughly nine billion chickens raised for human consumption in the U s. received roxarsone.
Currently in the U s. there is no federal law prohibiting the sale or use of arsenic-based drugs in poultry feed.
and the findings raise serious concern about proposals to use cattle grazing to help control its spread in areas where native bunchgrasses still persist.
Many of the plant and animal species that were there can disappear mostly replaced by cheatgrass that offers poor forage for cattle.
Using data from 75 study sites researchers found that high levels of cattle grazing were associated with reduced bunchgrass cover with wider
Cattle trampling also appeared to disturb biological soil crust that offers a second defensive barrier against cheatgrass and further speeds the invasion.
Continued research is needed to quantify the threshold levels of cattle grazing that would still maintain a healthy native ecosystem.
Influenza viruses circulating in pigs, birds could pose risk to humansin the summer of 1968 a new strain of influenza appeared in Hong kong.
and pigs that are genetically similar to the 1968 strain and have the potential to generate a pandemic
Influenza evolutionin the past 100 years influenza viruses that emerged from pigs or birds have caused several notable flu pandemics.
When one of these avian or swine viruses gains the ability to infect humans it can often evade the immune system which is primed to recognize only strains that commonly infect humans.
However H3n2 strains are also circulating in pigs and birds. Sasisekharan and his colleagues wanted to determine the risk of H3n2 strains reemerging in humans
because we observe that there seems to be a lot more mixing of H3 between humans and swine.
and about 1100 H3 strains now circulating in pigs and birds focusing on the gene that codes for the viral hemagglutinin (HA) protein.
Of these 549 came from birds and 32 from pigs. The researchers then exposed some of these strains to antibodies provoked by the current H3 seasonal-flu vaccines.
Of the 581 HA sequences six swine strains already contain the standard HA mutations necessary for human adaptation
There could be viral genes that mix among pigs or between birds and pigs. Sasisekharan and colleagues are now doing a similar genetic study of H5 influenza strains.
and butchered numerous small antelope carcasses. These animals are represented well at the site by most
In addition modern studies in the Serengeti--an environment similar to KJS two million years ago--have shown also that predators completely devour antelopes of this size within minutes of their deaths.
The site also contains a large number of isolated heads of wildebeest-sized antelopes. In contrast to small antelope carcasses the heads of these somewhat larger individuals are able to be consumed several days after death
and could be scavenged as even the largest African predators like lions and hyenas were unable to break them open to access their nutrient-rich brains.
challenge as pressure mounts to convert forestlands to croplands and cattle pasturelands in the Amazon.
The LGMA established standards for farm work hygiene produce processing and transport and proximity to livestock.
and adding in estimations of poultry production and consumption which are used to infer future risk
The distribution of potentially infected poultry was included also in the model. The majority of early cases of H7n9 were found in Shanghai
but Shanghai is not a big poultry exporter so the model shows limited transmission via this route.
In contrast Jiangsu distributes poultry to Shanghai Zhejiang and beyond. Prof Jiming Liu who led the study explained By basing our model on wild bird migration
and distribution of potentially infected poultry we are able to produce a time line of the estimated risk of human infection with H7n9.
Since the effect of poultry-to-poultry infection is understood not really it may become necessary to regulate the activity of poultry markets.
and Heritage Partners and Anna Wilson from the University of Melbourne in Australia in a paper published in the Springer journal Human ecology.
which can sustain livestock through otherwise lean periods. In addition to being a food source the bark
The above story is provided based on materials by Springer Science+Business Media. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.
The restricted foods included grains beans fruit poultry and plants belonging to the nightshade family
For thousands of years pastoralists in East African savannas have penned their cattle overnight in brush-walled corrals called bomas.
The surprising result may be due to cattle overuse of the area between an established boma and nearby glade.
#Sushi for peccaries? It turns out the white-lipped peccary--a piglike animal from Central and South america--will settle for fish
when fruits (its main food) are no longer on the menu according to the Wildlife Conservation Society
and partners revealing the first-ever photos of fish-eating peccaries. The images of fish consumption by white-lipped peccaries were taken by Douglas Fernandes in the Brazilian Pantanal wetlands one morning back in 2011.
A short description of the observations along with the digital photographs taken will appear in the latest edition of Suiform Soundings (IUCN Peccary Specialist Group Newsletter.
As far as we know these are the first images of fish consumption by white-lipped peccaries said Dr. Alexine Keuroghlian of the Wildlife Conservation Society and an expert on peccaries.
This finding expands our knowledge of how this ecologically important species survives in highly seasonal habitats.
While there was one reported account by Dr. Joe Fragoso of the white-lipped peccary dining on fish in the Amazon the behavior has been seen rarely
On that day Fernandes a researcher for the Instituto Arara Azul a partner organization observed a group of approximately 30 white-lipped peccaries at Caiman Lodge near the town of Miranda in the Pantanal one of the world's largest tropical wetlands.
Most of the peccaries fled as he approached but five remained as they fed on aquatic plants in shallow ponds created by the receding flood waters typical of the Pantanal's dry season.
It was then that Fernandes noticed three of the peccaries eating traira or wolf fish from the oxygen-starved ponds.
We know that peccaries are primarily fruit-eaters but will consume aquatic plants tubers grasses and small invertebrates such as insect larvae worms and snails when fruits are said scarce Dr. Keuroghlian.
The white-lipped peccary is sized a medium animal that occurs in both humid tropical forests as well as open savanna and wetland habitats throughout Central and South america.
As a major fruit-eater the white-lipped peccary plays an important ecological role in rainforests and other habitats as a seed predator and disperser and it is a favorite prey of jaguars and pumas.
Additionally white-lipped peccaries are considered an environmental indicator of a well-preserved forest. The white-lipped peccary is listed as Near Threatenedon the IUCN's Red List
but its status is currently under review as Vulnerable. The two main threats faced by white-lipped peccaries are habitat loss and direct hunting.
Story Source: The above story is provided based on materials by Wildlife Conservation Society. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length h
and how important farming was in relation to livestock ranching'says Axelsson. Another aim has been to collect animal bone material--or simply 5000 year old food remains.
The researchers know that pieces of bones from cattle pigs and sheep can be found at the site.'
'By studying the levels of isotopes in the bones we can for example find out where the animals were raised
Due to the changing climate of the past decades the egg laying dates of Parus major have become increasingly mismatched with the timing of the main food source for its chicks:
although fewer offspring now fledge due to food shortage each of these chicks has a higher chance of survival until the next breeding season.
Out of 10 eggs laid 9 chicks are born 7 fledge and on average only one chick survives winter.
That last number increases with less competitors around. This is the first time that density dependence--a widespread phenomenon in nature
New study finds animals do recover from neglectanimal sanctuaries can play an important role in rehabilitating goats
In this first scientific study of rescued animals the researchers examined moods in 18 goats nine
and the goats'mental health by comparing the behaviour of the mistreated goats with that of the goats that had been treated generally well.
whether some goats were faster to explore specific areas that resulted in the reward of food
They assessed how the goats judged previously unknown locations described as ambiguous because they were situated between spaces known to contain food and areas without food.
It was thought that the goats from the poor welfare group would be more'pessimistic 'and slower than the well-treated goats to explore ambiguous locations for food where the promise of reward was guaranteed not.
However a surprising result of the study was that female goats that had been mistreated in the past were more optimistic than the other well-treated female goats.
Dr Briefer adds: In this case we found that female goats that had been neglected previously were the most optimistic of all the tested animals.
They were more optimistic than well-treated females but also the poorly treated males. This suggests that females may be better at recovering from neglect
The study shows that animal rescue centres such as Buttercups Sanctuary for Goats where we collected our data can provide a vital role in reversing long-term neglect once the animals receive excellent care.
According to an African saying if livestock die so does said the village ITM scientist Eric Thys co-promoter of the thesis. Research resultsabdou Razac Boukary an agronomist
Boukary studied brucellosis and BTB in over 1100 households keeping livestock. He collected nearly 5000 blood samples for brucellosis and tested almost 400 cattle for BTB.
Such a large scale approach involving animal and human health specialists is still a rarity. Results show that around 13%of herds included animals infected with brucellosis.
Around one in hundred cows were found to be infected with BTB. Analysis of samples taken at the abattoir of Niamey showed that cows were affected significantly more by BTB than other categories of cattle.
The research also characterised a new profile of Mycobacterium bovis bacterium (SB1982) which has never been reported before.
which month accidents involving boar and roe deer are most likely to take place. Car accidents involving animals are a serious and growing problem in Europe.
Wild boar are the cause of 63%of traffic accidents involving wild ungulates and roe deer come second in 37%of the accidents.
On the other hand accidents involving wild boar tend to take place between October and January. Nights are longer during these months
The frequency of accidents during the day is linked to the activity of the species. Wild boar are nocturnal
The community with the most double cropping also has a soy processing plant that employs thousands of workers as well as complementary poultry
and swine raising and processing Vanwey said. In the long run there isn't much money in just growing things
First it is interlinked tightly with livestock production and the human food system. Second many people consider their pets to be part of the family so the food has to be culturally acceptable to the owner as well as good for the animal.
With H7n9 we are already seeing marked falls in demand for poultry and this can have a major effect on the livelihoods of the rural poor who depend on the sale of chickens for a significant part of their disposable income.
and others associated with the poultry industry are massive and there will be a need to look for alternative means of support for these producers.
At present many farmers cannot sell their poultry and ways need to be found to support these farmers
which already covers Jiangsu Zhejiang and Anhui provinces and beyond support for taking up alternative jobs should be considered for households rearing poultry
so that households can make up for their losses from raising poultry and maintain their living standards.
despite shifts in government policies towards support for large scale industrial poultry production small scale production still needs support as it is a major source of income for women and the rural poor.
and infecting poultry. This means that for areas where this virus is not yet present farm biosecurity measures need to be strengthened as recommended also by FAO
which all poultry in a large zone around known infected flocks are culled had very severe effects on livelihoods because of the level of disruption
and N components of this virus were derived probably from wild birds and also possibly from poultry.
and poultry and it is important to assess the likelihood of this through scientific studies on wild birds as they fly north through China to their summer breeding grounds.
a moderate consumption of wine dairy products and poultry and a low consumption of red meat sweet beverages creams and pastries.
adults raise just one or two chicks to maturity every 10 years making hunting unsustainable.
and crush chicks as the birds often nest in agricultural fields. Pesticides kill protein-rich insects that bustard chicks rely on for rapid growth to be able to migrate come fall.
Rapid development in Central asia combined with climate change and low reproductive rate could make these birds disappear Kessler says.
or caught raiding livestock. One male known as 16m was shown to have crossed busy Highway 17 between Scotts Valley and Los Gatos 31 times.
and killed after attacking goats. A female 18f who may have been 16m's mate was killed in 2011 crossing the winding highway.
when caught attacking domestic livestock. Wilmers advised owners of goats or other livestock to consider keeping them in a fully-enclosed mountain lion-proof structure.
While Wilmers advised people to proceed with caution in any known mountain lion roaming grounds he said humans need not panic about the presence of mountain lions.
and stillbirths in sheep goats and cattle was discovered first in Germany in late 2011 and has already spread to more than 5000 farms across Europe and 1500 farms in the UK alone.
but is responsible for stillbirths and birth defects in cattle sheep and goats. The Department for Environment Food and Rural affairs (DEFRA) believes the disease was brought probably into the UK from infected midges blown across the Channel.
and wild boar raising the possibility that a reservoir of the disease could develop outside the control of farmers
Methane is emitted at a wide range of concentrations from a variety of sources including natural gas systems livestock landfills coal mining manure management wastewater treatment rice cultivation and a few combustion processes.
By controlling cattle farming and policing to prevent poaching in the Bernardo O'Higgins National park--a vast natural Eden covering 3. 5 million hectares--conservation efforts have allowed the deer to return to areas of natural habitat from
The study by researchers from Cambridge the Wildlife Conservation Society and CONAF the Chilean national forestry commission is released today in the journal Oryx published by conservation charity Fauna and Flora International.
Recent increases by local farmers in the practice of releasing cattle indiscriminately into national parkland for retrieval later in the year has damaged the habitats of endemic wildlife such as the Huemul
Our results suggest that synergistic conservation actions such as cattle removal and poaching control brought about by increased infrastructure can lead to the recovery of species such as the threated Huemul.
but the mechanism at the molecular level has not been clear says Jun-Lin Guan Ph d. the senior author of the FIP200 paper
Abnormally higher levels of ROS can cause neural stem cells to start differentiating Guan is a professor in the Molecular Medicine & Genetics division of the U-M Department of Internal medicine and in the Department of Cell & Developmental Biology.
Guan has been studying the role of FIP200 --whose full name is focal adhesion kinase family interacting protein of 200 kd--in cellular biology for more than a decade.
Several years ago Guan's team stumbled upon clues that FIP200 might be important in neural stem cells when studying an entirely different phenomenon.
what we were actually intending to study says Guan as it suggested that without FIP200 something was causing damage to the home of neural stem cells that normally replace nerve cells during injury or aging.
It's clear that autophagy is going to be important in various types of stem cells says Guan pointing to the new paper in Autophagy that lays out
Guan's own research is now exploring the downstream effects of defects in neural stem cell autophagy--for instance how communication between neural stem cells
The study showed that the biggest mitigation potential lies in cutting emissions from agriculture such as livestock production as well as in managing forests effectively to increase their role as a carbon sink.
Yak-a-mein soup, a k a.,#,#Old Sober One of the Crescent City's time-honored traditions--a steaming bowl of Yak-a-mein Soup a k a.
Old Sober--after a night of partying in The french Quarter actually does have a basis in scientific fact.
Alyson E. Mitchell Ph d. said foods like Yak-a-mein--also spelled Yakmein Yaka-mein
and Yak-a-Men--have salts protein and other ingredients that help people recover from the effects of imprudent consumption of alcohol.
Although recipes vary Yak-a-mein typically is made with a salty beef-and-soy-sauce-based broth;
Folklore has it that American soldiers from New orleans stationed in Korea in the 1950s learned to appreciate Yak-a-mein on the morning after
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